Manolo Blahnik's guide to St Petersburg

Master shoemaker Manolo Blahnik marvels at the iconic Russian city and shares his favourite sights to see and things to do in St Petersburg

Manolo Blahnik

Getty

'I feel a deep connection to St Petersburg purely because of its literature and history. I adore Catherine the Great and Pushkin, so when I am here it feels as if I am being immersed into their worlds. Spring is the best time to visit, when everything is coming back to life after a bleak winter. Once you go past all the Stalinist buildings in the suburbs and arrive in the city, it's like being in old-world Russia, with the smell of roasted chestnuts in the streets. On my last trip, I discovered the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoe Selo, which was her summer residence. And the Yusupov Palace is unlike anything I have ever seen - even the bathroom is unbelievably stunning. I had a choir perform for me in one of the grand rooms and was moved to tears. I'm now desperate to see the controversial film Matilda, out this month, about ballet dancer Mathilde Kschessinska, who was the mistress of Tsar Nicholas II. I also like the Pushkin Museum, which is in the house where he lived and died after being shot in a duel. The whole area around the Hermitage Museum is an overload for the senses. The canals, those monumental statues, the colours of the walls. I always like to cross the river at the end of the day, when the sunlight hits the Hermitage - it just looks magnificent. I'm not much of a restaurant person, but I was invited to Cococo. It serves really interesting traditional Russian food, very deconstructed yet impressive. And for something to take home, seek out beautiful amber made by the most talented artisans. I love seeing people whose life is dedicated to a craft.'